Abstract
Computer simulation is an important research tool in today’s scientific world. Computers allow us to perform computations that mimic the behavior of complex (biological) systems in ways that we could not otherwise achieve. You could think of these simulations as a computer game, in which a virtual world is created that works according to certain (e.g., physical) rules. While we play the game, we learn the rules governing this virtual world and its environment, and also the way that we affect this world as players. In this article, I will explain how we use computer simulations in the world of structural biology to study the structure and function of molecules. I will also describe how I think that we could use insights from the world of biology and computer simulations to advance the society that we live in.
Highlights
Computer simulation is an important research tool in today’s scientific world
To realistically present the motion of the ball in the game visually, the computer needs to compute the physical path of the ball based on physical equations—Newton’s equations of motion
You can think of computer simulations like computer games that help scientists to learn and better understand the phenomena they investigate
Summary
Computers allow us to perform computations that mimic the behavior of complex (biological) systems in ways that we could not otherwise achieve. You could think of these simulations as a computer game, in which a virtual world is created that works according to certain (e.g., physical) rules. While we play the game, we learn the rules governing this virtual world and its environment, and the way that we a ect this world as players. I will explain how we use computer simulations in the world of structural biology to study the structure and function of molecules. I will describe how I think that we could use insights from the world of biology and computer simulations to advance the society that we live in.
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